New York Mets Should Not Rush To Extend Young Pitchers

One of the biggest storylines for the New York Mets heading into 2016 spring training is the possibility of the team locking up one or more of their young pitchers to long-term contracts before they reach free agency. GM Sandy Alderson has indicated that he would be open to having talks during spring training, and co-ace Jacob deGrom has already mentioned he would be open to the idea as well. However, this kind of talk is premature by at least a year, and the Mets should not be in a rush to lock up their young pitchers, at least not yet.

If New York were to lock up a young pitcher this spring it should be Matt Harvey. Of course, with Harvey being represented by Scott Boras, there is little chance that Harvey would sign a deal with the Mets that would delay him hitting the open market. Moreover, with a bit of tension arising last season among the Mets, Harvey and Boras, it’s unlikely the sides would reach an agreement, especially with speculation that Harvey could be traded next offseason if the Mets don’t think they’ll be able to afford him once he hits the open market.

With Harvey off the table with regard to an extension, there’s little reason for the Mets to rush to lock up any of their other young pitchers. Harvey will be the first to reach free agency, and even he won’t do that until after the 2018 season. In the case of Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz, there’s no reason for the Mets to jump the gun. As great as Syndergaard was last season, and as promising as Matz may be, neither has pitched a full season in the big leagues and both are under team control for another half decade.

Eventually, both will be candidates for an extension, specifically Syndergaard since he’s the youngest member of New York’s outstanding rotation, but not until both have had more time to establish themselves in the majors. As a point of reference, the San Francisco Giants didn’t sign Madison Bumgarner to an extension until he had more than 50 big league starts under his belt. If the Mets follow that precedent, then next season would be the time to consider signing Syndergaard or Matz to an extension that could delay their free agency and ensure their stay in New York is a long one.

As for deGrom, who has been quick to express an open mind about signing an extension, a contract similar to what Bumgarner received from the Giants may be appropriate. However, deGrom still has four seasons under team control before he reaches free agency, so there is no pressure for the Mets to make a move. It may be beneficial for both sides to work out an agreement to cover deGrom’s arbitration years, but New York should be cognizant of the fact that deGrom will be on the other side of 30 by the time he’s a free agent. The Mets should not feel rushed to commit far beyond his arbitration years.

As entranced as we all are by New York’s young pitching staff and the success they had last year carrying the team to the World Series, that does not mean the Mets need to be in a rush to lock up all of them long term. Outside of paying the salary increases that come with arbitration, the Mets can keep their core of young pitchers together for three more seasons without doing anything. The bottom line is that as nice as it may be to imagine the Mets keeping their pitching staff together for a long time, there is no need for them to be in a rush to sign all of them to long-term contracts.